Company
by Bluestarshine
Summary: "We don't think or talk about anyone or anything, else. No work. Nobody else. Just you and me."


**Disclaimer: I claim nothing. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made. I do not own Homeland, it belongs to its respective owners.**

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_"You okay?"_

The surrounding darkness becomes a little bit lighter at the sound of his voice, and Carrie can't help but feel a little more at ease because of him. She breathes outwards deeply, brushing her hair back off of her face, before she answers. She gives him honesty, because she trusts him enough to.

"Not really."

There is a notable intake of his breathing, like he's uncomfortable with the idea of her not being okay.

"Where are you?" she asks curiously.

Normally, Carrie wouldn't ask that question because he'd never give her a real answer. He was a ghost, a man who preferred to live in the shadows, and he was doing that right now. She knew he was out there in the shadows, but she didn't know where. Carrie knew better than to ask this question, but tonight was different. She could almost feel him watching her, could almost imagine him. He was close, but she didn't know how close. All that Carrie knew was that he was there.

_"A hundred yards away."_

Her breathing hitches, and she walks towards the nearest window. Carrie brushes back the curtains and peers through it, searching for him while knowing that, if he doesn't want to be found, she won't have any chance of finding him.

_"What's wrong?"_

"I'm not sure I like being watched over by you, Quinn." she gives him more honesty. "I don't know how comfortable I feel."

A tense silence follows, and is finally broken by the sound of his voice. _"I'm at a safe distance."_

Carrie almost smiles while she stares out of her window. It's his best attempt at reassuring her that she should feel comfortable but, oddly enough, it doesn't work like it usually does. She doesn't feel calmer or safer knowing that he's out there because there's still so much distance between them.

"But I don't feel safe."

Her words ring in the silence for a few minutes.

_"You're safe as long as I'm around."_

Those words hit something inside of her, and she falters before turning away from the window and walking to the staircase.

"Goodnight, Quinn."

_"Goodnight, Carrie."_

The line goes dead and Carrie is left staring at her phone for a minute longer until she eventually throws it down on her bed. Darkness stays around her, with the exception of the moonlight that slips through the cracks in the curtains. Carrie slips underneath the covers of her blankets eventually, pulling them up to her chest she releases a sigh and shuts her eyes. Minutes of silence pass her by, before her phone rings. She frowns slightly as she stretches her hand out to it.

"Hello?" she answers, the frown still painted on her face.

_"It's me."_

Carrie falters, rubbing at the crease on her forehead for a minute. "What do you want, Quinn?"

_"I'm downstairs."_

"What? Why?"

_"Just come downstairs."_

Carrie almost jumps out of her bed. She ends the phone-call, pulls on her slippers and begins walking down the staircase. Her eyes skim the darkly lit house, until she finds Quinn. Outside. He's standing outside of the large glass doors, waiting for her to let him in. She can barely see him in the darkness, but Carrie knows it's him. She feels oddly at ease, knowing that he wouldn't just enter, and would wait to be let inside by her. That thought is comforting. When she reaches for the doors, Carrie peers up through the glass and meets his gaze. She stares at him for a moment before unlocking the door, and opening it.

"What are you doing here?" she frowns a little, watching as he steps inside. "What happened?"

Quinn steps inside slowly, his entire body remaining rigid as he passes Carrie. He turns back to face her after she has closed and locked the door. Their eyes meet again, and a small smile forms on his lips.

"You didn't feel safe."

And that's all he says.

The frown returns to her face, as she tucks her hair behind her ears and straightens up. "Wait. So, you came all the way here just to announce that?"

"It wasn't far."

"Should you even be here?" she folds her arms over her chest. "What about-"

"No one noticed me." Quinn replies quickly, his eyes briefly skimming over her house.

No one ever really notices him.

"You don't know that." she snaps back, sounding angrier than she actually is.

Quinn hesitates, breathing in slightly as the smile remains on his face.

"Actually, I do." he continues to stare at her. "Saul called it off. He told me I didn't have to watch you anymore."

"Why?"

Another silence passes.

"Because..." Quinn pauses, swallowing tightly. "Because you're safe."

Carrie's eyes dart away from Quinn's eyes, and fall down to his lips for a second.

"Am I?"

She looks back into his eyes. His dark, hollow eyes that suddenly seem to hold a new spark. A new light. This new light captivates Carrie for a moment and for a moment she's lost. Lost in the promise of it all, the promise of something better, something new. Something good.

"For now."

He seems to draw out the words on purpose, the spark in his eyes flickering as he does. Carrie draws in a tight breath of air, and shifts a little more underneath his intent gaze. She can't recall a time between them when he had stared at her this openly, like she was the only thing in the room, like he was searching for something. Perhaps, he was searching for something more. Just like she was. An answer to an unspoken question. A connection.

"How do you feel now, Carrie?"

It's not a simple question, but she gives a simple answer.

"Better." she smiles, and tucks her hair off of her face. "I guess."

"You guess?" he lifts an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I mean...I won't feel like I'm being watched all the time. That already feels better."

His response is barely audible, but Quinn catches it.

"Mmm."

Her lips curve upwards into a half-smile. "What?"

There's something different in her eyes that he notices now.

"I thought you didn't feel comfortable knowing I was watching you?"

His stare is dark and enticing, like he's daring her to take a step closer. Quinn tilts his head to the right, and continues to watch her pensively.

"It's...It's different, I guess." she stammers.

He likes that his presence does this to her. Carrie doesn't like it.

"How?"

"I don't know. I guess, it's because I'm not the only one being watched."

She stops briefly, and quickly runs her fingers through her light locks. "I guess it's because I get to watch you too, and it's different.."

"And why would you want to do that?"

Quinn sounds much more serious now than he had seconds earlier.

"You're interesting." she finally answers, after a moment of contemplation.

He actually smiles. "I've never heard that one before."

"I believe that." Carrie says, and then laughs a little. "You're also intriguing, and I enjoy your company. But you're an ass."

"Really? I've heard that before." Quin says, and takes a step closer.

"Really." she pauses, and there's a new understanding between them. "You could have just called, Quinn."

"We both know that's not true."

She stares up at him with her wide eyes, noticing the way he's leaning down over her, watching like he's waiting.

"What?"

"You didn't feel safe where I was."

Now, she steps closer and asks a question of her own.

"You could be anywhere right now, Quinn. You could leave if you wanted to." Carrie says quietly. "You said it yourself, you don't have to watch me anymore. So, why are you still here? Why didn't you just call?"

"Maybe, I didn't want to leave." he says.

For the briefest second she can read him.

"Maybe, I enjoy your company too...But, if you don't want me here, Carrie..." he pauses, and clenches his jaw together. "If you want me to leave, say the word and I'll go."

Carrie doesn't say anything. Not a single word passes her lips, and Quinn takes it as another invitation. He closes the distance between them, presses his hands against her cheeks and he kisses her, like he'd wanted to for weeks, like he'd imagined doing. She kisses him back. Roughly. Warmly. Heat grows between them, and Carrie pushes Quinn back against the wall. She begins to place warm kisses against his neck.

"So, you enjoy my company?" he breathes out.

Carrie smiles, realising just what she's doing to him.

"Sometimes." she whispers back, and that's all she says.

She drags it out.

"Sometimes?" he asks, and then forces her neck back so her heads resting against the wall.

Quinn runs his hands around her waist, and puts warm, precise kisses down her neck and to her chest.

"Only sometimes?"

Carrie can almost feel his smile against her skin, and it makes her smile.

"Only sometimes." her hand falls to his hair.

Suddenly, he breaks away and stands up much straighter. A dangerous smile plays on his lips as he stares at her with wider, lighter eyes. His shirt sits unevenly on his body, and draws Carrie's attention away briefly. She looks back to him, and finds his smile has grown. She fights the smile that forms at the sight of his messy hair, which makes him look less like his usual self. It makes him look normal. She can't stop herself from smiling.

"Maybe I should leave then."

Any attempts at seriousness fail because Quinn's still smiling, and she just knows by the look in his eyes that he doesn't have any intention of leaving. Not that she'd want him to.

"Maybe you should."

Seconds later, they've fallen on the couch together and are kissing again. Carrie wraps her legs around Quinn's waist while beginning to unbutton his shirt. He breaks away, smiling wider then she's ever seen and she wonders how he has so much self-control right now when she has almost none left.

"What are you doing?" she breathes out, a slight frown resting on her face.

"Not here."

"What?" she breathes heavily.

Carrie receives the same confirmation she'd gotten earlier: he likes the effect he has on her, this is clear by the pleased smile on his face.

"Not on this fucking horrible couch."

Carrie feigns offence. "It's not horrible. I've-"

"Fucked a lot of guys on it, I'm sure." he says, and then smiles.

But it's too late for Quinn to take it back, or for Quinn to smile like nothing happened. Even though he hadn't wanted to say that, the words had escaped without his control. Carrie reaches for a pillow and hits him in the face, knocking him back off of her and down to the ground.

"Hey!" he shouts, and laughs lightly. "What was-"

"You can leave now." she says quickly.

Somehow, Carrie manages to remain completely serious as she swings her legs off of the side of the couch. But Quinn sees right through it, just like he sees through all of her bullshit. He wears a crooked smile on his face as he stands from the couch, knowing just what to do.

"I know when I'm not wanted. I'll be on my way, then." he says, taking a step towards the door.

But his hands reach for the buckle of his pants, and after a few steps away his pants are gone and all that's left are his brief, and his grey shirt.

"If you think that's gonna work, you're wrong." Carrie breaks and turns to look at him. "I have more self-control than you apparently think. I'm not going to fucking throw myself at you just because..Your pants are off."

"Oh, come on, Carrie..." he sighs, seeing she's still mad. "You know, I didn't mean-"

"Just so you know, I haven't fucked anyone on that couch. Not that it's really your business."

"I thought it was."

"You don't need another complication in your life." she mumbles.

He's not sure if this is her way of pushing him away, or if it's Carrie believing that he intends to push her away.

"You're not a complication, Carrie. And you should know...I say shit that I don't mean-"

"I know! You do it all the time." she says, and then smiles a little. "I'm used to it."

"I do it especially when I'm...You know, feeling..."

Carrie stands from the couch and walks slowly up to Quinn, noticing how the smile has disappeared and a more serious, vulnerable expression has filled his features.

"What?"

"A little...I don't fucking know. Not nervous, but..."

"Peter Quinn. _Nervous_?" her jaw nearly hits the floor. "No. How the fuck is that even possible?"

He could give her a sarcastic response, or a sharp one, but he gives her something better. Something unexpected. Honesty.

"I'm not fucking nervous. I said not fucking nervous. Didn't I?" he sighs again. "You know, it's you."

The way he says that, combined with the way that he's watching her, hits something inside of Carrie. He seems to be doing that a lot tonight, she realises. But she doesn't mind it. On the contrary she likes it. Carrie likes the way he makes her feel.

"What?" she asks.

"You do that to me."

Carrie smiles softly, and walks right up to him so there's no distance anymore. He lowers his head, and stares right into her eyes. Right into her.

"Well, don't worry. I don't have high expectations. Wait, even better! I have no expectations at all. You can't disappoint me then."

"No expectations at all - the words _every _guy wants to hear." he says seriously, but then cracks a smile. "I had expectations. I still do. Meaningless, rough sex. That's what I'm here for right? Maybe a shower after. Something to eat. Then I'm outta here."

He says that, but she can see it's something more in his eyes. There's something more to this. More behind this. It's not just meaningless, not anymore. There's something more there, they both know it, both feel it.

"Expectations of what, Quinn?" she sighs, knowing there's something deeper.

Quinn sighs and shifts uncomfortably, averting his gaze from hers for a minute.

"...Of how this would be." he finally says.

Carrie smiles softly, and leans up to place a kiss against his lips. "I feel safer now."

"I have rules." he says, sometime later.

Carrie falters, and lifts a disbelieving eyebrow. "Really?"

"Don't look so fucking shocked." he says seriously, but smiles. "My rule is it's just us."

"What?"

"We don't think or talk about anyone or anything, else. No work. Nobody else. Just you and me."

"I like the sound of that." she surprises him with her answer.

Quinn smiles again. "So, you still want me to go?"

"Certainly not. Unless you have better plans?"

He scoffs and wraps his hands tightly around her waist, smiling as he does. "No fucking way."

Carrie smiles and begins to unbutton his shirt, kissing him as she does. Once it's gone her eyes skim over the scars and marks on his chest before she looks up and meets his eyes. A real, true, genuine smile spreads over her face and she seems genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. Seeing her smile brings a smile to his on face, and for one night there is not a shred of loneliness left in Peter Quinn's eyes.

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**A/N: **

_So, this is an idea I got from the ending of episode 5 of season 3. __There's not really any plot to this, it's just an idea that came to me and wouldn't go away until I wrote it._..It's a crap ending but I couldn't seem to write anything else, and I wanted to get this out and finished wit. I'm sorry about the ending and the whole story really...I tried but couldn't seem to do any better than this...

_I also wanted to take this as a chance to apologise to anyone who reads my other Homeland story 'I'll be with you' - A few things have gotten in the way and I haven't been able to write much of that story, but I am trying my hardest and working on getting something up soon. I'm sorry..._

_Anyway, enjoy..Thanks for reading._


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